IT Services Sections

Support Services

To assist IT Services in realizing and maintaining its vision through ICT related support and training. User Services specifically ensures that all ICT support are timely and of good quality. Its training function ensures that all University users are of a capable literacy standard that allows for productivity and enhanced knowledge. The divisions that make up User Service are:

Student Support Services

• The basic responsibility of the Student Support Team is to ensure that all services provided to students are well maintained. This includes student training, lab facilities, email service, internet and online information availability.
• For more on Student Support, please visit their Student helpdesk under Our Services.

Staff Support Services

• Staff Support is the designated team that looks after services provided to all staff of the University. As part of this, we ensure that all staff are provided with the necessary access and online material to carry out their daily duties. This includes staff training, desktop support, back end support, and other online services.
• For more information on the Staff Support, please visit the Staff helpdesk under Our Services.

Training

• This is with relation to staff training. The team has been assigned to selecting and preparing training documents for all staff. Training is conducted through out the year and is subject to conditions.
• For more information on training, please visit their page on Our Services.

Back End Support

• This has seen the incorporation of other sections of IT Services into the User Services to assist our team with better and more skilled troubleshooting techniques.
• This was also brought about to ensure that problems are handled, if possible, from the first point of entry at our helpdesks.

Enterprise Systems & Network Infrastructure

To maintain and optimize the distribution and development of Quality ICT Services and network infrastructure through effective Capacity planning, on-going technological enhancements and service monitoring. As part of this, the team is composed of three divisions:

Systems Administration

The team is dedicated to ensuring that all our back end services are well maintained and that constant improvements are made to ensure fast and consistent retrieval of information is possible through our online services.

Infrastructure

• Telecommunications
  • This team looks after the well maintaining of our telephony systems and ensures that services are always available to users. They also handle requests for service which can be further detailed under Our Services.
• Networks
  • As far as the network infrastructure and servicing of the USP network, this would be the team that looks into it. The team ensures that network connectivity and consistency of communication across their infrastructure is maintained and always improved. For request information, visit their site under Our Services.

USPNet

USP Net is the service that provides communication between the main USP Laucala Campus and our remote centers. For a detailed outlay of their team, visit the USP Net page under Our Services.

Enterprise Administrative Computing

Vision

We envision working with users and putting in place a Corporate Integrated Information System and its support mechanisms that would facilitate USP’s operational, managerial and executive functions across and within departments.

Functions

Oversee overall Application and Data Base acquisition for USP and to effectively Develop, Acquire and Implement Applications and Database Solutions as required by USP.

Supported Applications

Sungard SCT, Banner Application

The Banner Suite of software that USP employs to facilitate its administrative functions is one that is used widely in the United States of America and Canada. According the providers Sungard SCT, they have more than 50% of the market in US in terms of Tertiary Educational Institutions using their product.

Banner is a highly Integrated Information System whose makeup is as follows:

• Students Administration Admissions
  • Registration
  • Fees Assessment
  • Examinations/Results Processing
  • Curriculum Advisory Planning Programme
• Financial Management/Accounting General Ledger
  • Accounts Receivable
  • Accounts Payable
  • Purchasing
  • Fixed Assets
  • Budget
• Human Resource
  • Position Control
  • Payroll Process
  • Human Resource Administration

MIS-Online

MIS-Online is a suite of Web based applications that has been developed in-house. The applications range from reporting/querying on the current Banner Database to specific applications. The following applications make up the MIS-Online.

• Management Reports on Students
• Student Search/Querying
• Consultants Database
• Facilities/Utilities Management
• Stock Control/Inventory
• Student Meal Book System
• Asset Tracking/Monitoring
• Room Booking System